This is my 1000th blog since I started writing them on a daily basis when Lockdown struck. I had tried to blog over the previous years but only completed 59 over a five-year period. So, you could argue that this blog is number 1059.
But it's 1,000 since I started in earnest (whoever he is) in March 2020. This year I have blogged 268 times which is significant because my challenge for the year in aid of the East Anglian Air Ambulance was to walk 1,500 miles and to complete and publish 365 blogs. Sometimes the second part of that gets overlooked.
Sometimes it's hard to blog for two reasons:
1/ Not enough time and
2/ Nothing really to write about
But there haven't been too many days when I have suffered blogger's block. In fact, I can only remember three occasions when I sat down to write and had absolutely nothing to write about. Something always crops up and indeed it's the opposite to blogger's block. Sometimes I just have too much to write about.
So, the good news (or bad depending on how you look at things) is I won't be stopping on December 31st. That would just be too mechanical. I will be blogging into the immediate future, and I will continue to try and make them as entertaining and meaningful as you tell me they have been in the past few years.
And that in a nutshell is really why I write them. I assure you I'm not on some massive ego trip, but I love all the comments I get, and I love the fact that some of my readers say that the blogs brighten their day. That's the main reason I am going to continue - that and the fact I'm an annoying person who always has plenty to say of course.
So, what can you expect in days, weeks and months to come. Well, more comment about my village, more comment about the tough times we live in, more comment about my life and more of my reportage after listening into conversations in pubs and cafes etc.
Please do keep the comments coming and I'm still interested in looking into having some kind of podcast as well, although I still haven't thought about what kind of content I should put into that.
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On Sunday whilst I kept half an eye on the football on television, I had the other one and a half eyes on my e-mails and the boring and slightly arduous task of clearing them out.
If you are like me, you just let them pile up in your in box. I do read them all, but I seem never to get round to either putting them into folders or deleting them. So, every so often I have a splurge and do the above and that's what I did on Sunday.
And I came across a blast from the past which somebody had sent me. It scarcely seems possible that it's 18 years since Hethersett Athletic Football Club played in the Norfolk Sunday Cup Final at Carrow Road - the home of Norwich City FC.
Those were golden days for our village club when we rubbed shoulders with the best Sunday teams in the county and beat most of them. Things didn't go well in the final. We came up against a very strong and experienced side from King's Lynn and were well beaten 5-0. But that didn't matter. It was the occasion that did.
The King's Lynn team turned up wearing jeans and trainers as if they had seen it all before (which they had). We had a team bus take us to the game despite the ground only being about six miles away. We all wore matching suits and ties and we had football scarves made for the occasions and in our club colours of gold and black.
After the game we had champagne in the dressing room and we stayed long after the opposition had left, just soaking it all up. It would have been nice to have won the cup but just being there made it a very special day, made even more special by the fact that my two sons were in the team. Chris had the ignominy of being injured when he slid into an advertisement board. He was carted off the pitch in what could only be described as a wheelbarrow. He managed to hobble up the steps at the end to get his medal.
Matt dreamed of scoring a goal at Carrow Road and with just a few seconds left hit a shot from 25 yards that looked to be going into the top corner. He turned his back and raised his arms in celebration, only to turn round to see one of our players taking the ball to the corner flag. Somehow the King's Lynn goalkeeper had made a flying save.
The other thing I remember about that match was the penalty that was and the penalty that should have been all from the same incident. We were awarded a spot kick. It was saved and just when our forward was going to follow-up with a shot his legs were taken from under him. It should have been another penalty but this one wasn't given.
Nevertheless we had a wonderful day out all those years ago.